Destin Daniel Cretton delivered an absolute must-see with
Short Term 12 , but while that received widespread praise, his next movie
The Glass Castle divided critics. As a result, it was hard for comic book fans to figure out whether he was the right choice to take the helm of
Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, but if
Just Mercy is any indication, we have absolutely nothing to worry about.
The movie tells the real-life story of attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) as he takes on the case of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an African-American man who was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of a white woman in Alabama. He was put on death row for the crime (despite there being barely any evidence against him), and Stevenson soon finds that trying to prove a black man's innocence in a place where institutional racism is the norm is no easy task.
For crime movie fans, the premise of a lawyer fighting to prove that a man was wrongly convicted isn't exactly new, but the heartbreaking, shocking story ensures that this is a tale that will keep you gripped right until the very end.
The sheer number of injustices the men on death row go through that
Just Mercy focuses on are downright staggering, and while it's set in the early 90s, nearly everything we see is, unfortunately, still relevant to what's happening in the world today and definitely a story that comes at the right time.
Jordan is phenomenal as Stevenson and the
Black Panther star delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. He's given the opportunity to bring a huge amount of emotion to the role and we, as members of the audience, can't help but get caught up in the horrors he witnesses as a result. Foxx is equally as brilliant and it's great to see him back at his best after some questionable decisions over the past few years. Brie Larson, hot off the success of
Captain Marvel, also gets to stretch the dramatic chops that won her an Oscar, but her role here is a mostly understated one. Throw in some stellar supporting performances from Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, and O'Shea Jackson Jr., and it's fair to say that Cretton has put together one of the best ensembles we've seen in quite some time.
The filmmaker proves that, with the right script, he can definitely deliver a movie that will catch your attention and leave a lasting impact on you thanks to high emotional stakes and unmissable performances.
Just Mercy doesn't always make for easy viewing, but it's not a film you should ignore, even if it doesn't appear to be receiving the awards attention it deserves.
Make no mistake about it: Shang-Chi is in safe hands with director Destin Daniel Cretton and no matter how invested you are in that film, Just Mercy should not be missed, especially with another unbelievable performance from Michael B. Jordan.